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COULD IT ACTUALLY HAPPEN?

Should you have overlooked the video of Iliman Ndiaye pulling off a backwards bouncing trick at Everton’s training ground, you should check it out. By pulling off a move so nasty that it would have fit right in at a Harlem Globetrotters show game, the skill instantly ended what was meant to be a lighthearted kickabout to wrap up what had been – up to that point – an revealing conversation about how non-professionals can get another opportunity after being dropped from professional academies.

Ndiaye, who competed in amateur leagues directly before being picked up by Sheffield United at 19, is ideally suited to speak on this topic. “Don’t concentrate on the rejection and one day your luck is going to arrive,” he informed a young player shortly before using said spectacular skill on his teammate, in doing so perfectly illustrating the gap between Premier League and amateur footballers he had been attempting to dispel.

Ndiaye isn’t the first professional footballer to push the boundaries. A younger Michael Owen gleefully humiliating a young shot-stopper in front of a fuming Neville Southall is undoubtedly the prime example in this specific category – but the former Liverpool man is not alone in this. Both Christian Eriksen and Shinji Kagawa have reduced toddlers to actual tears with a series of merciless tricks, although it’s believed that the latter was at least inspired by the Japanese player’s social media disgrace caption – “this frustration makes a person stronger” – and the associated label of #friendship.

Kagawa’s ex-BVB colleagues Lukasz Piszczek, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Nuri Sahin at least had the good grace to suffer a loss against 100 children when the three lined up during the interval of their last appearance for BVB. A Real Madrid XI that contained Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso were not so generous when they played against 109 Chinese kids in a similar experiment. But back to the start, it’s calculated that only 180 of the 1.5 million boys currently playing competitive youth leagues in England will ever feature in the Premier League, a harsh truth for young players across the country.

STREAMING ON POPULAR SITE

Join Scott Murray from evening UK time for live international football action of England versus Serbia, while Luke McLaughlin will be monitoring the action for the remaining evening matches.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“Soccer carried me but it never abandoned me because I never gave up on my goal. I went from place to place. The love of football propels you. I couldn’t always see where it was leading me. But today I have the solution” – Serbia coach Veljko Paunovic takes time out from his training to reflect on his path.

READER CORRESPONDENCE

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“As a regular follower and Florida resident, can I proactively complain about the upcoming week-plus of published letters about which highway one uses to get to various locations in your country? I mean, I was stuck in gridlock on I-4 at 2am on a Tuesday night driving through Orlando once, but that’s the entire tale. There’s no satisfying lesson to the tale. (I-4 connects Tampa on the Gulf Coast to Daytona on the Atlantic via Orlando/Walt Disney World, and can have congestion problems at any time)” – Rasteen Nowroozi.

“Regarding Wythenshawe FC, I recall many years ago playing for a Sunday, very social side, Turnpike Lane Hibs, on Clapham Common. One morning a bloke known as ‘Danny’ turned up to play. I have no idea who recruited him. Reportedly he was an actor; he had a good left side. (Yes, Daniel Day-Lewis)” – Jason Steger.

“Together with some associates and companions, I play a game of football each Friday afternoon. Our oldest player is pushing 80, while the least experienced are in their late-20s. To ensure a enjoyable experience for everyone, we have a straightforward principle regarding the skill level: you can be fast or skilled, but preferably not simultaneously. We periodically have players who violate this rule, but usually typically reduce them to our quality over time” – Lars Esbjerg.